President Ram Nath Kovind has cleared the recommendation to elevate four judges to the Supreme Court, The Leaflet reported on Wednesday. The Supreme Court will function at its full strength of 31 judges with the latest appointment.

Justices BR Gavai, Surya Kant, Aniruddha Bose and AS Bopanna have been cleared for elevation to the top court. They are likely to take oath on Friday, CNBC-TV18 reported.

With Gavai’s elevation, the Supreme Court will have a judge belonging to Scheduled Caste category after about a decade.

The Supreme Court Collegium had first recommended Bose and Bopanna for elevation on April 12. But the Centre reportedly returned their files, saying their elevation would go against the principle of regional representation. In a resolution passed earlier this month, the collegium reiterated its recommendation to elevate the two judges to the top court, while observing that nothing adverse was found regarding their competence, conduct or integrity.

Bose is currently the chief justice of Jharkhand High Court while Bopanna is the chief justice of Gauhati High Court, Live Law had reported.

On May 8, the Supreme Court collegium recommended Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant for elevation to the Supreme Court. Gavai is currently serving as a judge in the Bombay High Court and Surya Kant is the chief justice of Himachal Pradesh High court.